We Stand Together – Then, Now, and Always

Welcome to the CURRAHEE website – dedicated to the Veterans and Active Duty members of the famous 506th Infantry Regiment and attached units from its creation during World War II to the present. The website is here to provide current and historical information about the regiment and those who served as well as to provide a central point of contact to connect all past and present Currahees.

Two Easy Ways to Make a Hotel Reservation for the Reunion: The rate for a standard room is $89 a night plus taxes. The total cost of the room per night is $108.24 ($89 + 8% local tax + $5 state hotel fee).

Book a Room Directly on the Internet using the 506th Association's HiltonLink

More information will be announced as it is available. Go to the Currahee Events Page to view the Schedule of Events.

Distinguished and Honorary

Member of the Regiment Ceremony

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Witkowski, Commander, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment and Custodian of the Regiment has alerted us that we are fast approaching 2018 Currahee Week! This year's events will be 21-24 May, with a Distinguished / Honorary Member of the Regiment inductee ceremony on the 24th. With that in mind, anyone who would like to submit nominations for Distinguished or Honorary Members of the Regiment please contact Joe Johnson at joehdvoyager@gmail.com and he will provide guidelines for submission of applications. The application date for the upcoming DMOR/HMOR ceremony has passed. All applications submitted will be held for future consideration. Please spread the word by passing this message on to your fellow Currahees.

Check out a new book, Tiger Bravo's War, about the Currahees in Vietnam.

Rick St John, a longtime member of the 506th, has written an extensively researched book about B Company, 2nd Battalion during its pre-deployment training at Fort Campbell (August-November 1967) and its first year in combat (December 1967-December 1968). He has included firsthand accounts of the battles from over thirty fellow Tiger Bravo veterans, personal insights from family members, numerous excerpts from 2/506th Daily Staff Journals, battle maps based on 1968 era 1:50,000 maps of the area and 3rd Brigade and 101st Airborne Division after action reports.

The regionally aligned forces of U.S. Army Africa attended the Ghana armed forces-led Jungle Warfare School at Achiase military base in Akim Oda, Ghana, May 20-29. The school is designed to train participants in counter-insurgency and internal security operations.

Ghana’s military members have trained in jungle warfare for the past four decades. This year, they’re instructing U.S. soldiers.

Army photo by Sgt. Brian Chaney (Left) Army Spc. Jake Burley, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, maneuvers through a river during United Accord 2017 at the Jungle Warfare School at Achiase military base in Akim Oda, Ghana, May 26, 2017.

Jungle Warfare Training“In 1976, our forefathers and the military high command also thought it wise to also establish a school to train the personnel of the Ghana armed forces in jungle warfare, so that in case the situation arises where we have to apply ourselves in jungle warfare, we will be able to do. So that is how come the school is established to be able to train people,” said Ghanaian Maj. Jacob Codjoe, the school’s course commander.

More than 55 U.S. soldiers were challenged to survive in the harsh Ghanaian jungle during the ten-day course. The Ghanaian instructors equipped the students with practical knowledge specific to the local terrain and environment.

“How to adapt to jungle training is very difficult for them because their type of jungle in the U.S. is very different from the type of jungle that we have,” Codjoe said. “We have taught patrolling, which is a key to jungle training … [we] also taught them how to fight insurgents in the jungle terrain, how to combat guerilla [s] in jungle terrain, raid operations and attack on enemy camp operations.”

Difficult, Harsh EnvironmentThe American soldiers, performing the various squad and platoon level tactics, quickly realized the difficulty in navigating through the jungle and adjusting to the harsh, humid climate.

“We’ve always been prepared for Iraq and Afghanistan and desert environments, and even the mountainous environments, so this is like nothing we’ve dealt with before,” said U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Hugh Smith, Delta Company’s platoon leader.

According to Ghanaian Sgt. Michael Agyemang, the school’s noncommissioned officer-in-charge, the U.S. soldiers, were determined to soak up knowledge from the expert jungle instructors. “It’s been a fast learning experience between me and the students; they are just fast. Anything you tell them, they just grab it at once,” he said.

A sign at the school reading: The Jungle is Neutral, was explained as the jungle takes no sides; it treats everyone within it the same way. Smith said the jungle training is beneficial.

“I think it’s definitely enhanced readiness,” he said. “I think coming to a different environment -- a different terrain -- that we’ve never really dealt with before and learning the tactics, learning how to move, learning how to navigate through the jungle has very much helped us in our readiness.”

Navigating the dense vegetation and uneven ground, as well as traversing waist-deep ponds and crossing unstable improvised bridges while watching for hidden dangerous wildlife challenged the American soldiers.

‘The Jungle Environment Will Eat You Up’“The instructors here at Jungle Warfare School take their job very, very seriously. They treat everything we do as if it’s life or death, because when you are in the jungle environment it really is,” said U.S. Army Spc. Bryan Young, an infantryman assigned to 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment. “You constantly have to be very vigilant. You have to look out for your surroundings; you have to be situationally aware. Otherwise, the jungle environment will eat you up.”

Army photo by Sgt. Brian Chaney (Above) U.S. soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment provide security during United Accord 2017 at the Jungle Warfare School at Achiase military base in Akim Oda, Ghana, May 26, 2017.

The fast-paced, physically and mentally demanding course created a bond between students and instructors.

“This training has been extremely important to partnership operations, allowing us to share our doctrine and tactics with the Ghanaian armed forces, as well to allow us to learn their tactics and doctrine enhancing our ability to operate in the future, if necessary, as a cohesive group,” said U.S. Army Capt. Matthew Cavanaugh, Delta Company’s commander. “We know what to expect if we were to come to this country again and built those relationships, allowing for more-effective interoperability in the future.”

Sleep deprived, covered in ant bites and physically exhausted, the students relied on each other during the grueling course. The instructors motivated the students through chants and the students rallied to finish the course.

“I have enjoyed working with them because of the teamwork,” Codjoe said. “I’ve realized that even when they are not able to move, they encourage each other to be able to move through. Just like we witnessed today, they were able to sustain themselves, which was very good for them. So, their teamwork has been very great.”

The opportunity to participate in the training created lasting memories, Young said. “I will absolutely remember being at Jungle Warfare School for the rest of my life,” he said.

Charlie Company, 2-506th Infantry Memorial Team Visits

The 506th Association recognizes those who support the Currahee nation, our veterans and soldiers

Special Thank You to Mr. Brian McSpadden owner of Letter Perfect

Colonel (R) Joe Johnson, Secretary, presents one of our new Association Certificates of Recognition & Appreciation to Mr. Brian McSpadden, Owner of Letter Perfect located in Cookeville, TN. Colonel (R) Bob Seitz and our Hospital Visitation Team presents a new gym bag to each of our wounded Currahee Soldiers when they first arrive at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. The bags were purchased with funds taken from our Widows, Orphans and Wounded Soldiers Fund at a discounted price from Full Source, LLC, headquartered in Jacksonville, FL. Brian’s business embroidered the new gym bags at no cost to the Association. You may help keep this fund solvent by making a donation through our website at http://www.506infantry.org and clicking on the Programs/Giving button near the top of the home page.The Board of Directors approved the certificates and now ask you to seek out deserving businesses or individuals in your communities that deserve this recognition.

S t a n d i n g A b o v e t h e C l o u d s

At dawn on Wednesday, December 7,

2016 (the 75th anniversary of the

bombing of Pearl Harbor) a group of

active duty Currahees and veterans

gathered in Toccoa, GA. Here five

Currahees pause for a photo atop

Currahee Mountain.

From left to right COL(R) Joe Johnson, John Lally, Gene Overton, 1-506 Infantry Commander LTC Buddy Ferris, Fred May

Board of Directors Approves 2016 Membership Dues Increase and New Life Membership Program

On Wednesday, November 25th the Association's Board of Directors unanimously approved a $5.00 increase for Annual and Five Year Membership Dues in 2016. It should be noted that the last membership dues increase occurred back in 2009; however since that time the Association's expenses have steadily increased.

In addition, the Board unanimously approved a new Life Membership option for 2016, which has been requested over the years. Life membership will simplify the membership process while reducing the long-term cost to members.

It's the Board's hope that the Currahee Nation embraces these changes by continuing to support the Association thus enabling it to grow as well as support our Currahee Veterans and Active Duty Soldiers well into the future.

ASSOCIATION MEMBERS TAKE NOTE:

For the last several years we have utilized the services of Association Resource Center [ARC] for support functions like bookkeeping, member management, web development and communications. This spring, as we were preparing for contract renewal negotiations, ARC management informed us they were not going to renew our contract.

For the last few months the Board has been searching for another solution. We looked at other firms, tried to recruit volunteers and interviewed individuals with the skills we needed to be replacements for ARC.

After all this searching, we were very pleased to find a talented person close to home. We have just hired Kelli Loar as our Administrative Assistant, responsible for keeping our membership and accounting records current, updating our website and keeping our lines of communications open with members and the public. Kelli brings to the post considerable background in working with soldiers and their families. She is married to a career soldier recently assigned to the Currahees, and is the mother of two school-age children.

The 506th Association announced today that Robin Sink McClelland, HMoR, will represent the 506th Association in Belgium for events commemorating the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. A group of res…

Currently files are being transferred to the new website. You can look for information on the old 506infantry website. Click here

Additional Events

With the inactivation of the 4th Brigade Combat Team the Currahee Memorial (also known as the Currahee KIA Memorial) has been moved from the former Brigade area to a permanent location across from the Pratt Museum on Fort Campbell. The new Memorial location is Tennessee Avenue between 28th and 29th Streets. On Wednesday, 21 May, 2014 at 1600 (4:00PM CDT) there was a rededication ceremony for the Memorial. Present were former 4th Brigade Commander COL Valery Keaveny, current Chief of Staff 101st Airborne Division, along with the colors and elements of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 506th Infantry Regiment. All veteran Currahees and friends of the Regiment were invited to attend.

The Association is recognized as a Tax Exempt Veterans Organization under IRS Code Section 501(c) (19). The Association offers a variety of services and programs in support of its members, including its Charitable Programs as outlined under Programs and Giving. For giving purposes, our FEIN is 91-2088108. We invite you to participate in supporting Association programs through your tax deductible contributions.

The website, the Association Facebook page and newsletter connect all Currahees as well as their families, friends, and supporters.

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The Association is now accepting applications for our 2018 College Scholarships. The deadline for mailing of applications is 30 April 2018. Applicants are reminded to include their name, mailing address, email address and phone number with their application. Items sent with applications cannot be returned. Do not send original documents or important papers as photocopies will be accepted. Questions may be directed to the Scholarship Committee Chairman.

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Welcome to The CURRAHEE Home Page. Home for veterans of "The 506th Infantry Regiment". Everyone is welcome here. We are an organization dedicated to the Active Duty Soldiers and Veterans of the 506th Infantry and their History.